Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 68 Breaking the Kung Fu
"Further...fuck again...fuck again—"

Bang!
Xue Pan slammed his head heavily on the table, and then he began to snore loudly.

Chen Siyuan glanced at Liu Yan'er playfully and said, "Noisy Flowers and Drunken Fairy Peaches?"

This method of making people drunk is also recorded in that book of illusions. It involves drying these two ingredients, mixing them, grinding them into powder, and then flicking them with your fingernails to make the drink instantly drunk.

Liu Yan'er glared, then smiled charmingly, "Brother, you're quite perceptive." She reached out and patted Xue Pan's face vigorously, saying, "Just give him some licorice soup when you get back. We finally have some free time, so we need to have a good chat. Have you been to Old Master Sun these days?"

When asking this question, Liu Yan'er looked absent-minded, and Chen Siyuan thought, maybe Liu Yan'er wanted to ask Hu Mang?
He looked around and saw that the nearest private room was more than ten feet away. He lowered his voice and said, "Old Sun is being targeted by Prince Beijing, and... Hu Mang is dead."

Liu Yan'er stared blankly, her face expressionless. After a moment, she took a deep breath and said, "Dead? When did it happen?"

"I went to the Zhejiang Guild Hall early in the morning and saw a bailiff fishing for a dead float on the Zhazi Bridge. The man was swollen and swollen, but the scar on his palm was real." Chen Siyuan then briefly mentioned the matter of a martial artist following Hu Mang.

Liu Yan'er is not stupid. Right after Hu Mang died, Prince Beijing sent guards to guard Sun Guangcheng. I'm afraid that Sun Guangcheng has become a chamber pot by now - thrown away after use!
Liu Yan'er's breathing quickened, and she said in panic, "Oh no! Oh no! I told you the capital is a dangerous place, and it would be much easier to go to the countryside and find that local rich man to build a fire granary. But he got possessed and listened to Old Sun's instigation and insisted on coming to the capital."

Chen Siyuan said solemnly in a low voice, "Sister, we are now tied together. Neither of us can escape. We can't rely on Old Sun. We must find a way to escape."

"How do we get out?" Liu Yan'er paused, then suddenly leaned forward and said, "Or let's just run away now!"

"Where to run?"

Liu Yan'er leaned down and took out the purse from Xue Pan's sleeve pocket, then took off the jade pendant from his waist. After weighing it briefly, she frowned and said, "It's still worth a few dozen taels. This trip has been a huge loss!" She raised her head and replied, "Where to run? Of course, go wherever you can. It's better than staying here and waiting to die!"

"It's too late!" Chen Siyuan said, "Sister, Hu Mang is a man of steel. Even under torture, he can still grit his teeth."

"Him?" Liu Yan'er said disdainfully, "He looks big and strong like a hero, but he's actually a coward. If you scare him a few times, he'll probably confess everything."

"Sister, do you think Hu Mang confessed everything before he died?"

Liu Yan'er was suddenly choked and was at a loss for a moment.

After a while, Liu Yan'er said, "So, brother, what do you think we should do now?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I think it's better to stay still than to act. If we hide in Rongguo Mansion, we might still be able to survive. If we flee the capital in a panic, I'm afraid we'll just end up like Hu Mang."

Liu Yan'er bit her lower lip and said, "We are all members of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes. Prince Beijing has always had dealings with the Rongguo Mansion. Will he turn around and sell us out?"

Chen Siyuan shook his head: "This is a gamble."

"Bet? What to bet?"

Chen Siyuan only said: "It's just a guess now, and it's not certain yet."

What was he betting on? The bet was that Qin's death was far more than a simple murder of passion; there was probably a huge stake involved!

Chen Siyuan spent his free time these past few days pondering. Qin Shi had been seriously ill a while ago, and Hongyu had always said she was a brooding person, taking things to heart the moment someone said them. Qin Shi also secretly colluded with the powerful and influential, knowing a wealth of secrets. Perhaps she had gleaned some secret, or perhaps had taken advantage of it to hide some valuables, leading to her constant anxiety.

The specific situation can only be found after rescuing the precious pearl. It is only the end of September now, and there are still more than 20 days before the departure. Let's wait and see.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan refused to speak, Liu Yan'er turned her head away, frowning and thinking secretly.

Chen Siyuan asked, "Sister, how did Old Sun find you? Could it be that he and you have known each other for a long time?"

Liu Yan'er raised her eyes and said, "I've only known you for a few days. Old Sun gave me a three thousand taels ticket, saying that no matter how the trip goes, I'll give it to you with my signature afterward. Three thousand taels of silver? I've been working in the fire storage for three years and only earned a few taels. Now that I think about it, it's really like 'people die for money, birds die for food.'"

"What about Hu Mang?"

Liu Yan'er rolled her eyes and said, "How would I know? But he has always been by Old Man Sun's side."

Chen Siyuan said, "With your skills, I don't believe you haven't figured out Hu Mang's true intentions."

Liu Yan'er said, "He told us everything. He said he was selling powerful pills in Jinling years ago, but he never mentioned how he met Mr. Sun afterwards."

Chen Siyuan pondered and asked again, "Sister, have you ever seen a man with a white face and no beard? He looks to be around forty years old."

Liu Yan'er shook her head and said, "No."

According to Liu Yan'er, combined with her own experience, it was probably the eunuch who had colluded with Sun Guangcheng first, and the eunuch was the insider. After Sun Guangcheng found Hu Mang and Liu Yan'er, he forced her to come to the capital to stir up trouble?

I'm afraid that what Liu Yan'er said is not entirely untrue. Just seeing that Hu Mang is thinking about Liu Yan'er, I know that Liu Yan'er must have secretly used some tricks to confuse Hu Mang.

Chen Siyuan didn't bother to care about how these two were connected. He pondered and said, "Sister, are you okay staying at the Xue family now?"

Liu Yan'er said, "That's hard to say... Miss Bao has always been frugal. Although her food is not as good as that of the other masters in the Rongguo Mansion, it is still very fine. She has never been short of money." She glanced at the sleeping Xue Pan, raised her hand and patted his face, frowning and said, "It's this guy. He looks so energetic, but he is just like the waiters in the restaurant. He never comes in!"

Chen Siyuan blinked, then burst out laughing. A hanger-on, back in the Song Dynasty, was called an idler. The hangers-on in this restaurant were the ones who waited outside the restaurant every day. But if there was a takeout order, the hangers-on would carry the food boxes and rush all the way to the owner's door, collect the tip, and then return to the restaurant to continue waiting for work—in other words, they were the takeout boys of today.

Liu Yaner's words were quite mean, which translated to mean: Xue Pan is a delivery man, he always hangs around outside and never comes in!
Chen Siyuan laughed for a long while before saying, "Marrying a man means having clothes to wear and food to eat. Sister, just focus on living a good life. Why worry so much about other things?" He paused and continued, "In my opinion, why don't we just make it a real thing and stay in the Rongguo Mansion from now on?"

Liu Yan'er was surprised and said, "Didn't they say that Mr. Lian would be returning by the end of the year? What if he gets exposed then?"

Chen Siyuan just wanted to run away now, so how could he care about Liu Yan'er? Yin smiled and said nonsense: "When the fake is made to be true, the true becomes fake... Sometimes people, knowing that something is fake, insist on treating it as real."

Liu Yan'er frowned and said, "Why does it sound inappropriate to me?"

Chen Siyuan comforted her, "Sister, just stay at the Xue family for now. I'm also afraid of failure, but if there's any sign of trouble, I'll definitely take you with me if you want to run away."

Liu Yan'er snorted twice without saying anything, clearly not believing Chen Siyuan's lies. She was just a thief who had built a fire, only knowing a few tricks and vile tactics. How could she possibly escape from the Rongguo Mansion?
Glancing at Chen Siyuan, Liu Yaner said, "I'm keeping a close eye on you, brother. Don't even think about leaving me and running away!"

The only solution now is to take it one step at a time, keep a close eye on Chen Siyuan first, and then think of other ways!
After a pause, he frowned and said, "Although he now obeys me in everything, Madam and Miss Bao are very wary of me. And with a maid watching over me, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult for me to come to you for consultation in the future."

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. He smiled and said, "It's not a good idea to go look for Elder Sun right now, so why don't we take advantage of his situation?"

Liu Yan'er blinked, puzzled. Chen Siyuan muttered something, and Liu Yan'er nodded repeatedly.

A moment later, Liu Yan'er went downstairs and summoned a servant. She then asked the waiter at the inn to carry the inebriated Xue Pan into the carriage. Chen Siyuan rode behind them. They soon reached Ningrong Back Street, where they summoned the servants at the back gate to carry the lifeless Xue Pan back to Lixiang Courtyard.

It was already dark, and two dreadful lanterns were lit in front of the Lixiang Courtyard. Liu Yan'er went in first to greet them, and a moment later, Aunt Xue came out with Tongxi, Tonggui, and Ying'er.

Seeing Xue Pan like this, Aunt Xue immediately asked, "What's going on?"

Liu Yan'er said, "Madam, the master is fine. He just drank too much and passed out."

"Carry it back to the room!"

Tongxi, Tonggui, Ying'er, and Liu Yan'er hurriedly carried Xue Pan away. Aunt Xue only then noticed Chen Siyuan at the door and hurriedly said, "Please, Brother Yuan, take him back... Did Pan'er say anything wrong?"

Chen Siyuan shook his head and whispered, "Madam, please excuse me for a moment."

"This..." Seeing Chen Siyuan's serious expression and the wind picking up outside, it was not appropriate to talk in the courtyard. Aunt Xue gritted her teeth and said, "Brother Yuan, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea to warm yourself up."

Chen Siyuan agreed and followed Aunt Xue to the main room. A maid had already gone inside, and Chen Siyuan saw a figure swaying behind the glass window, and a screen was erected in an instant.

Inside, Aunt Xue naturally took a seat on the soft couch, with Chen Siyuan sitting at the head of the table. A smoker was burning inside, and the cool fragrance of ice flakes could hardly be overshadowed by a subtle aroma. Chen Siyuan stole a glance as he lifted his teacup and saw a graceful figure sitting elegantly behind a screen. He guessed it was Baochai.

Aunt Xue then asked, "How did Brother Yuan run into Pan'er?"

Chen Siyuan bowed and said, "To be honest, I accepted Brother Xue's invitation today and had a drink with him at Liuquan Residence. Later, Brother Xue got drunk, so I escorted him back."

Aunt Xue was surprised and said, "Pan'er invited Yuan'er? This..."

A mother knows a son best. Xue Pan's temper is as stubborn as a donkey. He had to give Xiangling away to settle things recently, and he'd been grumbling about her all day long, with a sullen face, until recently. Xue Pan probably disliked Chen Siyuan deeply, so why would he invite him to a drink for no reason?

At this time, Chen Siyuan said, "My wife must know that I have some connections now. Brother Xue invited me to drink because of this."

"what?"

Chen Siyuan stood up and took the rosewood box from his sleeve and handed it to Aunt Xue. "Please look, Aunt, this is the five thousand taels of silver note that Brother Xue just received. I thought Aunt might not know about this, so I just agreed vaguely at the time—" He handed the rosewood box to Aunt Xue. "—What should we do next? Why don't we discuss it with Brother Xue first?"

"Ah? Okay." Aunt Xue agreed and quickly opened the box. Sure enough, she saw a box full of banknotes.

Aunt Xue cursed inwardly. She had just been swindled out of 7,300 taels, and now another 5,000 taels had been taken out. She was afraid that all the money on the books had been drained out. It was almost the end of the year, and if she didn't start spending, she would have to use up her savings. Her son was truly a scoundrel!

Before Aunt Xue could thank Chen Siyuan, Chen Siyuan bowed and said, "In that case, I will go back first. Madam, please stay."

"Hey? Hurry up, send Brother Yuan off!"

Aunt Xue was the elder, so it was not appropriate for her to go and see him off in person. Unfortunately, Xue Pan was drunk, and the maids were all waiting in the side rooms, so there was no one available. Aunt Xue was in a dilemma when she heard Baochai say from behind the screen, "Mom, I'll go and see Brother Yuan off."

Before Aunt Xue could agree, a graceful figure emerged from behind the screen. Seeing Chen Siyuan stop and turn to look at her, Sister Bao smiled and bowed, "Greetings, Brother Yuan."

"Meet Sister Xue."

"Please wait a moment, Brother Yuan." After saying this, Baochai went into the side room and came out in a moment. She was wearing an apricot cloak and holding a lantern in her hand.

"Brother Yuan, please."

"Sister Xue, please."

The two of them exchanged polite words, then walked out of the main room and headed towards the door side by side.

Xue Pan's painful groans could be heard faintly from the side room. Baochai sighed slightly and said, "Brother, I'm sorry to bother Brother Yuan this time."

"That's all right... I think Brother Xue is also sincere. He kept talking about showing off during the meal to his concubine and sister Xue."

It would have been better if she hadn't said this. After she said this, Baochai frowned even more.

If Xue Pan was just an uneducated playboy, it would be fine, but he is a scoundrel. If this kind of person just hangs out every day, it would be fine, but if he really wants to make a living, I am afraid that the Xue family will fall even faster!
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Sister Bao said casually, "If only my brother had a third of the talent of Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan was speechless. He thought to himself: Who am I looking down upon? With Xue Pan's character, even if I were to compare myself to him, I'd be overestimating him!

Arriving at the entrance of Lixiangyuan, Chen Siyuan suddenly stopped and said, "Are you tired? Sister Xue, come back."

Baochai looked up in surprise and saw that pair of eyes were as bright as stars, with a deep look inside, as if seeing through everything. If it were just a word, it would be fine, but with that empathetic look, Baochai was instantly defeated.

Tired?

The family business declined, and the relatives were plotting to swallow up the eldest branch of the Xue family. The only male member of the eldest branch became a living dead. The family had to leave their hometown and live under the protection of the Jia family, and were often ridiculed by Grandmother Jia.

That's all. He puts on a smiling face every day and cultivates a good reputation. Baoyu is just a frivolous general with a black skin and a silver-plated spear head. But Baochai still has to be patient and argue with him...

Who knows the pain in Baochai's heart?

But what could she do? Her mother was just a concubine in the inner chamber, and her brother was a scoundrel. If she didn't make careful plans, how could the Xue family's main branch still exist in the future?

Baochai's eyes gradually became infatuated, not because of any sentimental feelings, but because she saw sympathy and concern in Chen Siyuan's eyes.

"Cough cough..." Her emotions surged, and she felt aggrieved, unwilling, and bitter. All five kinds of feelings flooded into her heart, and Baochai immediately covered her mouth and coughed repeatedly.

Chen Siyuan retracted his gaze and said, "It's cold at night, Sister Xue, please go back."

After saying this, he left without looking back. Baochai stood in front of the door, coughing, and only came to her senses when she saw Chen Siyuan enter the small courtyard next door.

Another heart-wrenching coughing fit came over Baochai, who covered her mouth and staggered towards the main room.

Inside, Aunt Xue saw Baochai's face flushed from coughing, and she was so frightened that she stood up to help her. "Why did she get sick out of nowhere? Ying'er, go get the Lengxiang Pills!"

　Tuesday's catch-up reading
　　
　
(End of this chapter)